Teachers
Listed are our teachers from the 2009 Camp. The 2010 list is currently being finalised and will be posted shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Amera Eid - www.ameraspalace.com.au
Amera has been part of the history of Oriental dance in Australasia for over two decades. Yes – she is the Amera of Amera's Palace in Sydney ! Amera started her Belly Dance career in the 80's in Sydney 's Middle Eastern night clubs. From there she moved on to live the Oriental dancers dream. She is one of a handful of “foreign” dancers who have lived, worked in and been part of Oriental Dance in its birthplace in the Middle East . Her dance career has gained Amera a rare insight into Oriental Dance, the music, the movement, the feeling that can only come from someone “inside” the Oriental Dance industry in the Middle East . Specialising in the many different Egyptian styles, she has a unique way of capturing the spirit of this sensuous and exciting dance form.
Anne Hildyard www. xenosmusic.com
Anne Hildyard is an outstanding instrumentalist and vocalist. She has mastered
the traditional style and techniques of the Northern Greek regions of Macedonia
and Thrace on the Balkan bagpipe, the gaida, and also the Kurdish and Turkish
shawm, the zurna. She lived and travelled in the countries of this region over
an extended period, learning directly from village musicians. She has also
embraced the modern gypsy style of saxophone from Macedonia, recording two
CDs with Xenos in Zürich and two CDs in Melbourne. She began her musical career as a singer, and has retained her enthusiasm for the voice, establishing acapella groups and giving workshops in Balkan singing styles. She is in constant demand from regional clubs and dance groups in Melbourne.
Rob Bester www.xenosmusic.com
Rob Bester plays fretless electric bass, underpinning Xenos’ sound with his ever tasteful funky bass lines. He plays other rhythm instruments such as davul, a large two-sided drum, and various bagpipes. He has studied in Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, recording and learning bagpipe music from village musicians.
Matt Stonehouse - www.fingersoffury.com
Melbourne based percussionist Matt Stonehouse has been a musician for twenty years. His unique style of playing has seen him perform with a highly eclectic range of artists in Australia and Internationally.
Matt has studied with master musicians throughout Turkey and Iran and teaches his own students around Australia . Whilst based in Isfahan, Iran, he was under the instruction of Feridoun Farahani and Sara Fatros, both acclaimed musicians of that province.
In 2002-2003 Matt was based in Scotland where he studied frame drums with Javier Morealis and performed regularly with the renowned Iraqi musician M. Naffi Mohammad and the award winning Celtic fusion group, Cantara.
In Australia Matt has performed with Gypsy groups, Black Train, Babaganoush and Zarafa; and with Middle Eastern ensembles, Yalla, Fingers of Fury and the Underbelly dance Troupe. He also performs Central Asian, Turkish and Italian music with Melbourne Virtuoso John Norton.
Matt has been featured for his darbuka playing at the Edinburgh Festival, Port Fairy and Queenscliff Music festivals and he has become a favourite accompanist to many of Australia 's leading belly dancers. Recent recordings include the latest recording of Pin Rada that features master musicians from both Istanbul and Melbourne . He is also on the new Dub album by Mista Sivona that performed at Womad 2008 and is currently recording with The Reefers.
Matt is also the Author of the book 'Fingers of Fury,' percussion of the Arabic world and beyond.
Here are some links;
Tamara Taylor www.hipnoticbellydance.com
Tamara is a graceful and passionate dancer with over 18 years experience in Middle Eastern dance. Throughout her dance career, Tamara has worked with musicians, performing at festivals, concerts and functions around Australia . Tamara has gained a reputation for her understanding and interpretation of music and her skills as a performer and teacher. Invited as a guest artist and teacher on many occasions, Tamara's experience includes teaching workshops at major and community festivals, such as Woodford Folk Festival where she has been a popular teacher and performer since 1995. In 2001, Tamara had the honour of teaching workshops with renowned musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek, alongside Terezka Drnzik.
Trisnasari - www.underbellydance.com
Trisnasari is the founder and co-director of Underbelly Dance Studio in Melbourne. She has belly danced all her adult life and instructed beginners to professionals for the past decade. With a background in psychology, corporate consulting and a Certificate IV in Dance Teaching she is sought after as an excellent facilitator with a strong basis in safe dance practice and dance teaching methods. She has written and hosted her own instructional DVD and developed a highly recommended Belly Dance Teacher Training course. She has recently given birth to her first child Samia, and credits belly dance for her uncomplicated birth and quick recovery.
Margaret Cunningham
Margaret Cunningham's love of dance is infectious! Tapping into an inner source of firey playfulness when she dances, Margaret has the ability to draw you into a world where only the dance exists.
Margaret's special focus, the Romani Cultures of the world, has inspired her to travel repeatedly to Eastern Europe, Turkey and Egypt to discover the source of a dance which is so often misunderstood and misrepresented. In Australia her Romani dance troupes, Gypsy Soul and Shuvani have become sought after attractions at numerous festivals and events around Queensland . At "Soul Dance", her school on Brisbane's north side, Margaret teaches Middle Eastern Dance, authentic Romani Dance and her original, unique blend of Romani dances from the Indian, Turkish, Eastern European and Spanish traditions which she calls "Ozencia" meaning, "Essence".
At Bahar Bayram this year allow Margaret to lift the veil of mystery surrounding the history, culture and dance of the Romani people as she reveals the origins of the Romani nation and gets you grooving in their passionate style of dance!
Nawres Alfreh
Nawres Alfreh has been playing classical and Arabic violin, joze and kamanche for 15 years. His classical training in music began at the Baghdad Conservatorium and he completed his degree at the Jordan Conservatorium. After his studies he performed in numerous ethnomusicology projects in Sweden, Cyprus, the UK and Jordan. He is currently a violinist in the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra and also plays violin, joze and kamanche in local world music ensembles.
Yuval Ashkar – www.ashkarmusicanddance.com
Born
into an accomplished musical family in Israel, Yuval’s
passion for the Oud began at age 17. Yuval began his tuition with famous Israeli
Oud player Yair Dalaland and furthered his studies by learning Arabic styling
from Arabian Oud master Gussan Harb. An inspiration for audiences, bellydancers
and other musicians, Yuval has evolved his unique style of Oud playing through
the synthesis of Egyptian, Iraqi, Moroccan, Armenian, Turkish, Kurdish, Afghani
and Andalusian musical influences and techniques.
Multi-instrumental Yuval also plays the Bandir (Turkish Sufi drum), Tombak (Persian
wooden drum), Darabuka, Zurna, Cumbus (Turkish banjo), Indian whistle and assorted
flutes. His vocal accompaniments are in Arabic, Ladino (Jewish-Spanish dialect),
Hebrew and Kurdish.
Ayelet Ashkar – www.ashkarmusicanddance.com
Ayelet began her dance training in the city of her birth, Haifa, Israel, at the Centre for Expression through Middle Eastern Dance. She also studied Drama, Art and Movement at Haifa University and acted in the Haifa Theatre.
In Israel, Ayelet was involved in many dance and theatrical productions and her extensive performance experience led her to become one of the top dancers in the country.
Now living in the Byron Shire, Northern N.S.W., Ayelet with her husband Yuval, continues to create and perform in many community events and festivals. She also teaches classes in Byron Bay and workshops at festivals including Woodford Folk Festival.
Mother of two, Ayelet brings an earthy, sensual and deeply expressive quality to her dancing, conveying to the audience a depth and authenticity of emotion that is powerfully feminine.
Amir Naderi - www.dastanarts.com
Amir was born in Shiraz, Iran. Surrounded by dervishes and Sufi culture in his home town, he was drawn towards the mystery of Sufism and the musical expression of spirituality and devotion. Now living in the Sunshine Coast area, Amir performs at festivals and concerts with his Sufi music group "Dastan" and also with the Persian band "Pejvac." Amir specialises in "Def" (frame drum), Tombak and singing and his performances are inspiring and uplifting.
Gary Dawson
Gary Dawson has been teaching folk dance for over 30 years, specialising in Balkan and Hungarian dance styles, and occasionally throwing in a Mexican, Austrian, English or Danish dance for fun as well. Gary has taught and choreographed for Macedonian, Serbian, Greek, Turkish and Hungarian community groups, international folk dance groups, amateur and professional dance ensembles and dance camps and festivals in Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Hungary and Serbia. Gary's dance workshops and dances are energetic, educational, fun and a social event. You'll come away from his workshops smiling and sweaty as his teaching style captures the atmosphere of a village ‘sred selo' (Serbian, colloquially translated as dance in the middle of the village). With a rich source of knowledge and experience, Gary passes on information and anecdotes about the people, places and traditions he's visited and learned from and about.
Yorgo Kaporis
Yorgo Kaporis has danced professionally in Bulgaria with the famed Pirin Ensemble for 4 years, and choreographs dances to provide a visual and auditory explosion of colour and shapes which tantalizes the senses and leaves the audience begging for more. Yorgo has won various awards in Australia for his original choreographies, and his dance troupe “Dusha Balkana” has had the pleasure of not only performing for various communities within Sydney, but is invited annually to attend the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland.
Dusha Balkana currently enjoys repertoires and original choreographed sequences from Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece, and is looking to expand its repertoire to other neighbouring Balkan Countries.
For further information you can contact Yorgo on 0412 86 11 87 or YorLoch@bigpond.com.
Belladonna
Belladonna is a charismatic belly dancer with over 15 years of performance and teaching. She has trained with Master Teachers throughout the world. And recently studied various styles of Indian Temple Dance throughout India. Based in Northern NSW, her troupe Snakeweave has performed in many festivals and are well known for their tribal fusion and colourful gypsy grooves. Her workshops offer a new dimensions to add to your own abilities with indian temple dance and poi/fire dance skills.
Leah Raymond
Born in Montreal, Canada, of Egyptian and Hungarian heritage, Leah began her journey in Middle Eastern dance fifteen years ago. Drawn to the beauty and diversity of the music and culture, she has lived and worked in Egypt and Turkey. She has studied intensively with inspirational teachers in Australia and Canada.Leah has performed at a variety of functions and community events, including Woodford Folk Festival, and has collaborated with both Middle Eastern and Iranian Sufi music ensembles. Based in Melbourne, she runs creative music and dance workshops for adults and children, using a holistic approach to encourage deep connection with the body, and natural ease of movement that expresses the inner experience.Leah dances with warmth and passion, expressing an earthy sensuality that comes from the heart. She has a particular interest in folkloric Egyptian dances, fusion styles including barefoot flamenco, and dervish inspired whirling.
Pin Rada - www.myspace.com/pinradamusicman
Pin Rada is a World music producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Melbourne , Australia . He is renowned for his talents across a wide range of musical instruments and for his skill in collaborating with musicians from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds. He has 15 years of professional performance experience and specialises in modal composition and improvisation with unique Eastern stringed and wind instruments. As a migrant of Chilean/Hungarian/Italian heritage, Pin has worked throughout Australia with a diverse array of music groups and other migrant and ethnic Australian musicians including; Croatian multi-instrumentalist Mark Planigale, Mozambique vocalist Kobya, Moroccan Oud player Brahim Benhim, The Western Thrace Sufi Music Ensemble, Vietnamese horn player Tai Jordan, Bosnian vocalist Amela Ušanovic, Turkish percussionist Ugur Serpinli, Samoan/New Zealand harpist Natalia Mann, Italian award-winning singer songwriter Kavisha Mazzella, Indonesian vocalist Ria Soemardjo, Sudanese singer Ajak Kwai, and Russian award-winning singer Zulya Kamalova. Pin regularly travels and collaborates overseas with musicians from Turkey, India, and Thailand and has worked extensively in Istanbul with a variety of musicians including; Armenian duduk virtuoso Suren Asaduryan, fretless guitarist Cenk Erdogan, percussionist Izzet Kizil, award winning multi-instrumentalist Erkan Ogur, Baykus Music producer Sinan Sakizli, and the group Unified Gecko. He has studied music extensively in Turkey , Greece , and India and has recorded music projects throughout Australia , Turkey , and Thailand . His latest CD "The Melbourne- Istanbul Sessions" brings together collaborations with top musicians from both places.
Bill Andersen
Bill was born in Scotland but came to Australia in 1971.He has been playing music for about 25 years, originally playing Irish style flute, but then branching out into Balkan, Turkish and Arabic music. He has performed at Folk Festivals around the country including, The National Folk Festival in Canberra , Port Fairy Folk Festival in Victoria and Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland .
About 8-9 years ago he had the opportunity to hear a Mevlevi (Whirling Dervish) group play in Melbourne . He was so taken with the music that since then he has been learning to play classical Turkish music. While living in Melbourne he played ney (Turkish end blown flute) in a Classical Turkish orchestra for 2-3 years. Since moving to Brisbane a few years ago, Bill has been running weekly sessions teaching Turkish, Arabic and Balkan tunes. He is also playing Oud, Ney and Zurna in several bands.
Cory Dale
Cory Dale is a truly remarkable musician, a real bagpipe specialist who has mastered the playing of many types of bagpipes from all over the world. In only a short period of time playing Gaida, Cory has already become renowned around Australia as a gifted player. Cory's interest in the Macedonian Gaida was sparked by Linsey Pollack's music in early 2004, and from there he became interested in the “Rodopi Gaida” of Bulgaria . In 2006 and 2007, Cory traveled to Bulgaria to participate in several Gaida competitions and festivals.
A Brisbane resident, Cory makes Macedonian, Thracian and Rodopi gaida – and a few other instruments too!
Bob “2 Toots” Robinson
Bob comes with 37 years performance experience with the Didgeridoo and 8 years with Middle Eastern percussion (Darabouka and Riq). In recent years he has played Didgeridoo for the Woodford Folk Festival Fire Event, including the Dawn Cermony and performances with other groups at the Festival. He has also played at a number of Festivals including Queensland Multicultural Festival. His career includes playing with Rolf Harris at Expo 1970 and on stage with Australian orchestras. His involvement with Middle Eastern music groups has given him an excellent grounding for fusing Didgeridoo with Middle Eastern rhythms and instruments.
Oriel Paterson - www.hennaharem.com
Oriel
has been performing henna since 1999, after a journey to Morocco. As a professional
henna artist, she specialises in traditional application and design, using
a natural hand-mixed paste, and works free-hand. With vivid childhood years
in the Middle East, and qualifications in Art History & Anthropology, a natural intrigue with the rich her-story of henna, and its contemporary symbolic use, infuses Oriel’s life.
Through “Henna Harem”, she offers the ritual of henna at ceremonies, parties,
openings, conferences and festivals.